Today's News

In the first year of an effort to accelerate shipments of transuranic (TRU) waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), Los Alamos National Laboratory topped its own record with 59 more shipments than planned, and it also became one of the largest shippers of this type of nuclear waste in the country.

“Our goal this fiscal year was to send 184 shipments to WIPP,” said Lee Bishop, TRU waste manager at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Site Office, “and we finished the fiscal year in September with 230 shipments, surpassing Los Alamos’ all-time record by nearly 60 shipments.”

Los Alamos’ previous record was 171 shipments, set last year.

In an agreement between the New Mexico Environment Department and the Department of Energy, Los Alamos has committed to removing 3,706 cubic meters of TRU waste stored above ground by June 30, 2014.

The Laboratory removed 916 cubic meters of waste from its stored inventory this year, more than its goal of 800 cubic meters. It plans to more than double that effort during fiscal year 2013, which began Oct. 1, with a goal of shipping 1,800 cubic meters by the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2013. The final 1,106 cubic meters will be shipped by June 30, 2014.

DENVER (AP) — Little more than a month from Election Day, Republican Mitt Romney is barreling out of the first presidential debate energized by a solid performance that telegraphed his determination to take it to President Barack Obama with gusto. The president, intent on keeping his momentum from stalling, is warning Americans that his GOP rival's policy prescriptions for a fragile economy are more fantasy than reality.

Standing toe-to-toe with the president for the first time in the campaign, Romney held his own and more at a time when there already were signs that the race is tightening in some of the battleground states where Obama has enjoyed an advantage. Obama kept his cool and signaled that he won't let up on his message that Romney's plans on taxes, health care, the deficit and more just don't add up.

Emergency services received a call there was a fire in Pine Canyon around 5 p.m. Wednesday.

When firefighters from the Los Alamos Fire Department arrived, they saw a rapidly spreading 30-by-30 foot fire and quickly put it out.

“We had it under control in about 10 minutes,” Deputy Chief Justin Grider said.

During the course of the investigation, the Los Alamos Police Department also arrived on the scene and tracked down two 12-year-old boys, headed west on Pine Street. They allegedly confessed to the crime, and were detained and arrested.

According to Grider, the juveniles used piles of pine cones and lighters to set the blaze, which was located in Graduation Canyon between Pine Street and Manhattan Loop.

Franz Schubert, according to Biography.com, only had one public concert in his life. But thanks to Juanita Madland, Claudia Hilko, Susan Mendel and Alicia Solomon, he will be given a second.
The group of musicians will host a benefit concert to the Los Alamos Arts Council at 4 p.m. Sunday at Fuller Lodge. The concert is a tribute to the composer and is titled, “Schubertiad.”
Despite the fact that Schubert died in 1828, his music and the era he lived in will come to life during the concert. To accomplish this, the performers will wear period dresses to portray an actual Schubert Party, will perform as though Schubert was present and will transport the audience back in time to 1797-1828.
Schubert’s life was short, but he wrote 1,200 pieces in his life of 31 years. Weekly, his friends gathered with him to play the music he wrote during that week. Schubert hardly ever performed as he was so busy churning out music.
He said, “I wake up, I work on a composition until I am through with it, then I start another. That is what I do all day.”
“His ‘spirit’ will be with us as we converse with him about his singing Lieder and piano compositions,” Madland said. This is the first of three Schubertiads. The audience is invited to talk with the performers over refreshments.

The Los Alamos High School NJROTC Unarmed Drill team opened up the season this year by taking third place at the Early Bird Invitational last week at Valley High School in Albuquerque. Eighteen schools competed at this event from across the state and included JROTC units from every military branch.
The Los Alamos High School team consisted of nine girls including cadets: Rachel Barthell, Kayla Benson, Karina Bequet-Stidham, Casandra Brewer-Houlton, Tristan Graham, Victoria Hypes, Gianna Maggiore, Mikyla Smith and Jodi Thomas. Analicia Ronquillo, whose command voice earned the title “Best Unarmed Commander” in the Commanders Cup division, commanded the nine girls. The armed team and three color guards finished with an average of fourth place, with the unit as whole finishing third. The next test for all of the teams takes place Oct. 26 and 27, when they travel to the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell.

Today
Girls in grades K-12, who are interested in Girl Scouts are invited to an information session and registration event from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Bradbury Science Museum.

The Los Alamos High School Band Boosters will host a “No Cook Noodle Night” from 5-7 p.m. at Trinity on the Hill’s Kelly Hall. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, call Maire O’Neill at 412-8739.

Glass recycling is finally here and Tom Nagawiecki will present the county’s plans for the recycled glass at 7 p.m. in the upstairs meeting rooms of Mesa Public Library during the Sierra Club meeting.
Thursday
Join the Parent Raising Teen Club from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church, 1738 N. Sage Loop. For more information, call Elizabeth Grant at 660-5796.

The Reel Deal Theater will bring back “The Big Year” for a one-time showing at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children at the door. Proceeds benefit PEEC. For more information, visit PajaritoEEC.org, call 662-0460 or send email to Programs@PajaritoEEC.org.

The Mesa Public Library Free Film Series presents “Hugo,” at 6:30 p.m.

A group of passengers on an elevator in one of the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s buildings had a thrilling end to a long day Monday when the elevator they were riding in started malfunctioning.
In a report released by the Los Alamos Fire Department, the elevator went from the first floor to the third floor and repeated the action without stopping.
It took about 20 minutes before the LAFD and LANL personnel took control of the situation by cutting the power to the malfunctioning elevator. That action turned on the elevator’s emergency automatic override, which made the elevator stop at a floor and open the doors. According to Fire Deputy Chief Justin Grider, no one was hurt in the incident.
“They were able to exit unharmed, and everyone that was on the elevator left the building before we could interview them about what happened,” Grider said.
The LAFD then turned the scene over to LANL’s security personnel.